CALL911

So I am going to paint my intake on my LT1. I know the Hi-temp engine paint is prefferable, but I couldn't find any colors that I thought would look good. I found some generic automotive paint that looked attractive, and then I found some high temp engine clear to go over it.

Do you think that would be okay? Or do I really have to get the high temp stuff for the paint itself on the intake?

Bigbadwhitey

Whats the temp rating on the paint you have?
I did my brakes with a "High temp" paint, and then did the brake caliper clear coat over top of them, and i havent had any problems, but the paint i used was still around a 500 temp paint.

lymlyt96

The high temp paint will be just fine but from my experience after a while the gloss goes away and starts to get dull if you let dust and dirt settle onto your intake or whatever you paint, but I've never used the high temp clear coat with it so it might protect the paint from fading.

greenformula94

You guys are reading it wrong, he said general automotive paint with high temp clear over it.

Most paints are even rated to 200 degrees. The intake manifold is one of the coolest points in your engine because its where the air comes in, but i still think it might get a hair hot.

I cant say it will work, but i cant say it wont.

Procharged94Lt1

I would skip the clear- I polished some of the my intake and painted some of it as well as a little change from the typical LT4 style paintjobs- the clear was to protect the paint and polished portions- after one summer the clear turned a little amber color and had to strip it all off and start over.

Perhaps it was a bad mix or bad prep- but I figured it was the heat that got to it over time...and yes- it was "high temp clear".

CALL911

Hmmm. Well, its going on my pro charged z in my sig, so my temps may be a little warmer than an NA car. That being said, I don't know exactly how hot my intake really gets on a hot day of abuse either.

I figured I would do the clear just to protect the thin general automotive paint from chipping. Spray paint in general is thin, and when touched with something hard or sharp, it can easily come off. But I also have seen it amber before. I am going with a dark color on the paint, so I don't know that it would change really or not.

Anyone else have any thoughts, or experience?

lymlyt96

I did read that wrong so you're gonna use the general automotive spray paint then asking if the high temp clear will hold up

maybe2fast

I had mine painted at a body shop and cleared coated...no problems

CALL911

Basically. I just want to know if everything (both the high temp clear and the general automotive paint) will hold up on an intake on my blown LT1.

I did this to my LS1 in my sig with no problems. But the intakes on the LS1's are a plastic that doesn't really get nearly as hot as the LT1 intakes do.

Anyone have any thoughts?

lymlyt96

I'd say your best bet would be to take off the intake and have a body shop paint it if you can't spray a good automotive grade clear yourself. I've sprayed intakes with high temp paint and a good clear with no issues the best clear in a spray paint I've used is by alsacorp it sprays thick like out of an HVLP gun and is a good quality clear coat.

CALL911

If I wanted to spend that kind of money I wouldn't have bothered going with the spray paint. Really I just want to know if what I have will work or not.

Zaknafein

Shouldn't be a problem, but then, I've only ever done this with carbureted intakes, and they tend to run a little cooler due to fuel vaporization.

I still think it'd be fine, so long as everything was extremely well prepped. I don't feel the clear will help any since the majority of the heat is conductive. Unless you're just looking to gloss things up, a good enamel should hold up fine imo.

GL

CALL911

The clear was intended not for heat reduction, or prevention, but to protect the paint. Spray paint is very thin (even with multiple layers), and with wrenching, and just generally working under the hood, its almost more than easy to scratch the thin paint right off. If you put a clear coat on top of it, it will protect the thin layer of paint.

What I am asking is if it will hold up given the heat of an FI intake.

Zaknafein

Acrylic urethanes will hold up, but you're not going to do that with a rattle can.

The engine in my 68 Camaro is body-color (acrylic urethane) and has held up beautifully for ~2 years now. Most of the custom painted engines coming out of Foose's shop and places like that are shot with AU.

Getting back on subject... I'd clean/prep a small area and shoot some paint to it. Just see how well it holds up, or better yet, find an aluminum TB plate and shoot that. If it holds up on there, it should hold up on the intake itself, providing the prep was good.

Good luck.

CALL911

The thread was started to help find out if it would work or not. I don't want to install everything to "see how well it holds up". Its not something that would be able to be painted installed on the car. I want to know if the clear will hold up to the specific heat that an FI car will have on its intake. If it won't I would want to do something else that will hold up so it isn't an ongoing issue. However, I have very little money invested in the paint and clear, so if it will work, I would rather stay this route.